Posted 1 year ago on Sept. 28, 2013, 9:18 p.m. EST by grimwomyn
(35)
from New York, NY
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

Notes from how to disrupt the vacation industry:

Airbnb has helped a New York resident successfully appeal a case that made him pay $2,400 in fines for renting out his home on the peer-to-peer rental service.

The city's Environmental Control Board filed the decision (see PDF below) dismissing the charges Thursday. The City of New York now has to give resident Nigel Warren his money back, according to the decision.
City officials initially ruled against Warren in May, saying that he violated a law that makes it illegal for property owners to rent out homes temporarily, mimicking hotel stays.

Warren had rented his room within the condo he was leasing to out-of-town tourists. The appeal board decided that because Warren's roommate, who is considered a "permanent resident," was present for the stay, it didn't violate the law.

Airbnb, which has been bumping into regulations globally while disrupting the hotel industry, celebrated the win on Friday.

"Much of the New York law is confusing, with some provisions applying to certain buildings and not to others. But this shared space provision was crystal clear," David Hantman, Airbnb's Head of Global Public Policy, wrote in a blog post. "We intervened in this case because the initial decision on Nigel's case was so clearly wrong, and we are pleased to see that the board agreed."

I was looking at the prices of some of the rooms and they can be just as expensive. Airbnb came from a shortage of rooms available. I was also thinking that this is not just current but we historically have had rooms for rent locally. There is an entire transient population that has always utilized this. Further, renting rooms out was viewed as an "acceptable" means of earning a living for women.

So, with that in mind what do we call that which has happened in the past? Or did the name change with the class that began to utilize this?